Seaside residents say flooding is like nothing they've seen

Author:
KGW Staff

Published:
6:31 PM PST February 9, 2017

SEASIDE, Ore. -- Heavy rains over the course of several days have caused flooding on the Oregon coast, with rivers overflowing their banks and the Seaside Golf Course with five feet of water on the eighth green.

“I’m 65 years old and have lived in Seaside my whole life, and I’ve never seen it like this,” said Phil Warmbrodt, owner of Seaside Golf Course. He said the flooding reached across to U Avenue, “and I’ve never seen it do that.”

A few miles west, flooding on Highway 101 forced it to close in the morning, cutting off one of the main arteries into Seaside and Astoria. At one point, ODOT workers said there was 20 inches of water covering the road.

Still, many drivers went through at their own risk, but one ODOT employee said that put others at risk.

“Those guys are traveling way too fast, throwing a lot of wake which will just swamp out those other vehicles in the other lane,” said ODOT’s Andrew Bergeson, who was advising many drivers to wait until the water level subsided with outgoing tides in the afternoon.

Many drivers took the advice.

“Oh no, my car would sink, I see trucks trying to go through there, there’s no way mine would make it,” said Kaleigh Macchio of Portland.

Ron Edwards of Cannon Beach came over to look at the flooding. He said this was the fourth time this winter that the area had seen significant flooding. He drove through the water in his truck in the morning.

“I’ve taken a couple of waves, over the hood and into the windshield,” he said.

By late afternoon, much of the water levels had receded. Many area residents say this is a winter they won’t soon forget.